Worth the Weight

By

Arthur C. Brooks

Updated Feb. 17, 2007 12:01 a.m. ET

America is fighting a pitched battle with obesity, and obesity appears to be winning. According to the Trust for America's Health, the percentage of Americans who are overweight rose by 19 percentage points from 1976 to 2004, to 66% from 47% of adults. About half of these adults are technically "obese." This is a significant public-health problem, because excessive body weight has been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, respiratory problems and so forth. The trend has entered the policy debate, and may become an issue in the presidential campaign: One Republican...